Adjustable filter cigarette

ABSTRACT

THE APPLICATION DISCLOSE A CIGARETTE CONTAINING A FINELY DIVIDED FILTER MEDIUM CAPABLE OF BEING SHIFTED TO VARY OR ADJUST THE DEGREE OF FILTERING ACTION.

Sept. 20, 1971 H. v. D. STEWART 3,605,756

ADJUSTABLE FILTER CIGARETTE J Filed Oct. 9, 1967 IM iip 52 la iallliri li I 1 INVENTOR. flsemau MD. STEM/727' BY ,fmvmzw United States Patent3,605,756 ADJUSTABLE FILTER CIGARETTE Herman V. D. Stewart, 1721 RoyalBlvd., Glendale, Calif. 91207 Filed Oct. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 673,631 Int.Cl. A24d 1/04 U.S. Cl. 13110.5 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Theapplication discloses a cigarette containing a finely divided filtermedium capable of being shifted to vary or adjust the degree offiltering action.

The invention has to do generally with means for filtering smoke fromtobacco as it is smoked in various forms and particularly withcigarettes of the type which incorporate a filter in their construction.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel, variable or adjustablefilter means for incorporation in a cigarette, cigarette holder, cigarholder, pipestem, or the like.

More particularly it is an object of the invention to provide a novelfilter mean in a cigarette or the like which is susceptible of beingaifected by deliberate manipulation of a cigarette to vary or adjust theeffective filtering action thereof. Thus it is an object to provide acigarette construction embodying novel filter means wherein the filtermeans can be relocated or changed by tapping the cigarettelongitudinally. In this connection it is an object to provide acigarette incorporating filter means of novel construction which enablesthe user to adjust the filter means to achieve either more or lessfiltering action by tapping the cigarette selectively on one end or theother, respectively.

Further objects of the invention are to provide various constructionswhereby in one case the filter action can be increased by tapping thecigarette on either end, and in another case, whereby it can bedecreased by tapping the cigarette on either end.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawing and thefollowing description. Referring to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view broken away and partly in longitudinalsection, of a cigarette embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of one end portion ofthe cigarette of FIG. 1, but on a larger scale;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the cigarette verticallydisposed and showing the relative disposition of the movable or loosefilter material after the cigarette has been tapped at one end;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but with the cigarette inverted withrespect thereto and showing the disposition of the movable filtermaterial as the result of tapping the cigarette on the opposite end;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing a modification;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing another modification;

'FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but on a larger scale, showingstill another modification;

FIG. 8 is a section on line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a modified filter material holder;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but on a larger scale, showinganother form of the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a section on line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

In general the purpose of the invention is to provide 3,605,756 PatentedSept. 20, 1971 a filter medium or means in a cigarette, cigar, or in acigarette or cigar holder which is capable of being adjusted or variedby manipulation to increase or decrease the filtering action and, by wayof illustration, the invention has been shown and described inconnection with cigarettes, but it is not intended that it be solimited.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, numeral 11 generally designates acigarette which has a conventional paper Wrapper 12 enclosing acylindrical body 13 of tobacco fibers. As is common in recent years, thecigarette is shown provided with a filter body or filter tip 14 whichmay be of any suitable construction, usually being made of paper havinga multiplicity of minute passages therethrough. In the particularconstruction shown a space 15 is provided in the cigarette between thebody of tobacco 13 and the filter body 14 and this is filled orsubstantially filled with a loose, finely divided filter material 16.The filter material should be extremely fine or powdered so that it canbe compacted by a jarring action, and I have found diatomaceous earth tobe eminently suitable for the purpose.

In the construction of the cigarette it will be apparent that theindividual passages for smoke to traverse the body of filter materialare much smaller in cross sectional size than the spaces or passagesbetween the individual fibers of the body of tobacco. With the construction outlined, if the cigarette is lit and smoked as it appears inFIGS. 1 and 2, a given or predetermined degree of filtering action ofthe smoke will take place as the smoke is drawn through the body ofloose filter material 16 and the conventional filter body 14. In orderto vary this, that is, if the smoker wishes a greater or a lesserfiltering action, before lighting the cigarette he taps it on theselected appropriate end for the purpose. Thus if he desires to achievea greater amount of filtering action, he taps the filter end of thecigarette several times against a surface 20, as shown in FIG. 3,thereby causing the granules of the filter material to compact againstthe filter body 14. On the other hand, if a lesser filtering action isdesired, the tobacco end of the cigarette is tapped against a surface 20causing the filter material or medium 16 to become dispersed among therelatively large spaces and passages in the body of tobacco, so thatwhen the cigarette is smoked, the filtering action is substantiallyreduced.

In FIG. 5, I show a modification wherein a cigarette 11A has a body oftobacco 13A and a conventional paper wrapper 12A. This cigarette isprovided with two stationary filter bodies, designated 14A and 21, whichare spaced apart longitudinally to leave a compartment or space 22therebetween and this is filled or substantially filled with the loose,finely divided filter medium previously described and here designated as16A. In this form of the invention, the degree of filtering action canbe increased by tapping the cigarette upon either end, since this willresult in compacting the loose filter material 16A selectively againsteither filter 14A or filter 22.

In FIG. 6, I show still another form of the invention wherein acigarette 11B with a wrapper 12B has a filter 14B and the usual body oftobacco fibers 13B. However, within the body 13B I provide a spacedesignated 24 which I fill or substantially fill with filter material16B of the type previously described. With this type of construction thefiltering action is decreased by tapping the cigarette upon either end,since this causes the filter material 16B to disperse into the tobacco.

In any of the forms of the invention described I may also employ afilter material which as illustrated in FIG. 2 includes, in addition tothe fine-grained or powdery substance, a coarser-grained materialdesignated by the numeral 16a which may or may not of itself possessabsorptive or filtering characteristics, such as fine granules ofcharcoal or sand, for example. These should be substantially larger thanthe fine particles of filter material.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, I show a cigarette 11C having aconventional filter 14C and a body of tobacco 13C all within a wrapper12C. In this form of the invention I provide an element to hold thefilter material which serves several purposes as will be pointed outbelow. Element 30 may be made of plastic or other suitable material andis shown as having a cylindrical outer Wall 31, a cylindrical inner wall32, and radial partition walls or webs 33. Filter material 16C of thetype previously described substantially fills the spaces orcornpartments 34 within element 30.

The element 30 serves as a spacer between the conventional filter 14Cand the tobacco 13C of the cigarette and thus provides space ofpredetermined volume for a predetermined weight of the filter material,and hence enables a predetermined and uniform initial compactionthereof. The element 30 also prevents any undue lateral migration of thefilter material by providing the several compartments 34, increments ofthe total volume. Since these are small in size, each body of filtermaterial therein is maintained at or close to its initial compactionvalue during normal handling of the cigarette prior to smoking. However,the action of the filter material once the cigarette is tapped on theend is the same as previously described with reference to FIGS. 1-4.

I contemplate that element 30, or one similar thereto would be usable asshown if, during manufacture of the cigarette, the filter material canbe sprayed, blown or otherwise loaded directly into the element.However, should it be desirable for manufacturing purposes to installelement 30 with filter material therein as a unit in the cigarette, thiscan be done by providing perforate end walls thereon as shown in FIG. 9.Referring to that figure, the element, designated 30A, is shown with anend Wall 35 having minute perforations 36 and an end wall 37 withsomewhat larger perforations 38. The latter normally retains the filtermaterial 16C but will permit it to pass if vigorously tapped to forcethe material therethrough. Hence this element 30A can be used in thesame manner and in the same variety of locations as unit 30. Ifnecessary in order to positively retain the filter material within theelement 30A during handling in manufacture, the end wall 37 may havesmaller perforations.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, I show another form of the invention wherein Iprovide a filter element 40 in a cigarette 41 between the body oftobacco 42 and the conventional filter material 43. Element 40 comprisesconcentric cylindrical outer and inner walls 45 and 46, respectively,connected at one end by an annular imperforate disk 47 of greaterdiameter than the outer wall. An imperforate end wall 48 at the otherend closes the cylinder formed by the inner wall. If found to bepreferable, a screen or perforate end Wall 50 is also provided at saidother end to retain filter material 51 of the type previously described,in the annular space between the walls 45 and 46. However, theperforations should be large enough to permit the filter material to betapped therethrough but small enough that, ordinarily, the materialtends to be retained. The latter walls are of fine screen material orperforate so as to pass air and smoke but retain the filter material,except for short imperforate sections 46A and 46B near the ends. Theseimperforate sections are provided to prevent smoke bypassing the filtermaterial when the material has been moved as the result of tapping thecigarette. However, if desired, I make wall 46A short enough that smokecan bypass the filter material after the material has been moved to theright in FIG. 10 as the result of tapping on the right end.

In use, the smoke is drawn through wall 45, through filter material 51and out through wall 46 and the open center of the element, as shown bythe arrows. Because of the nature of the filter material, it can becompacted somewhat by tapping the cigarette on the left end therebyincreasing the filtering action, or decreased by tapping the cigaretteon the other end.

Although I have illustrated and described preferred forms of myinvention, I contemplate that various changes and modifications can bemade therein without departing from the invention, the scope of which isindicated by the following claims. By way of example, the device 30 maybe formed as a part of the standard filter unit 14C (see FIG. 7) andeither prefilled with the loose compactible filter material 16C of thatfigure or filled at some stage of manufacture. If prefilled the portion30 of such a combined unit might be provided with a perforate end wallto retain the loose filter material.

I claim:

1. In a cigarette or the like, including a wrapper and a body of tobaccotherein, filter means therefor disposed in the wrapper adjacent an endthereof, comprising an element formed to provide an inner and an outerperforate cylindrical wall defining an annular space therebetwveen,imperforate end wall means closing one end of said annular space, an endwall closing the other end of the space inside said inner wall, a finelydivided, compactible loose filter material substantially filling saidannular space, means at the other end of said annular space retainingsaid filter material, said outer cylindrical Wall having a diameter lessthan the inner diameter of said wrapper, and means at said one end ofsaid element spacing said outer cylindrical wall from said wrapper andclosing the space between the wrapper and the outer wall of the elementat said one end.

2. The filter element set forth in claim 1 in Which said innercylindrical wall is imperforate for a portion of its length at each endthereof.

3. In a cigarette or the like:

(a) a cylindrical body of tobacco fibers;

(b) a body of stationary filter material spaced from said body oftobacco fibers;

(c) a wrapper around said bodies and cooperating therewith to define anenclosed space therebetween;

(d) a finely divided mechanically compactible loose first filtermaterial in said enclosed space; and

(e) a second material having a grain size substantially larger than thatof said first filter material interspersed therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,066,579 7/1913 Blosser 131-11X1,107,716 8/1914 Slaght 131-207 1,183,339 5/1916 Brinton 13111 1,868,4697/1932 Broadway 131-207X 2,768,913 10/ 1956 Hiler 131-109 2,786,4713/1957 Graybeal 13 ll0.7 2,792,006 5/1957 Marek et a1. 131-10.72,998,819 9/1961 Snowden, Jr 13110.7 3,169,535 2/1965 Lassiter et a1.131-10.7 3,251,365 5/1966 Keith II, et al 13110.7 3,351,072 11/1967 Baumet al 13110.3

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,155,367 11/ 1957 France 131261 1,185,923 2/ 1959France 131207 299,468 1930- Great Britain 131-261 406,401 3/ 1934 GreatBritain 131-107 798,118 7/1958 Great Britain 131265 JOSEPH S. REICH,Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

